Article

“Turning Others’ Leaves”: The Politics of National Literary Identity in Renaissance England

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Abstract

The origins of the sense in Renaissance England for a distinct English literary identity may be traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower in the fourteenth century. However, it was with the Elizabethan generation of writers and poets in the second half of the sixteenth century that this sense became a serious concern and constituted the essence of their literary politics at the time. In fact, at a time when political, ideological, cultural, economic, commercial, and colonialist nationalism was on the rise in Renaissance Europe, it would not be unusual for the Elizabethans to pursue radical policies of nationalism in every sphere, including most importantly the formation of a national literary identity. Accordingly, for the literati of the time, especially for the generation of Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and their contemporaries, literary creativity and originality and, consequently, independence from foreign influence were to be prioritized and privileged over imitation and traditionality. Therefore, they increasingly turned away from the imitation of Continental literary norms and explicitly rejected Petrarchan populism; instead, they were involved in a deliberate and focused engagement in a process of theoretical and pragmatic politics for the creation of national literature. The new national literature they envisaged was not only to be authentic and native in identity but also to match up the intellectual standards of Renaissance humanism and literary performance at large. So this article is an analytical and argumentative attempt, with the main focus on Sidney and Spenser, to demonstrate in what ways and by what perceptions the Elizabethans were motivated for the formation of a national literary identity.

Abstract (Turkish, translation)

“Başkalarının Sayfalarını Karıştırırken”: Rönesans İngilteresi’nde Millî Edebiyat Kimliği Politikası

Rönesans İngilteresi’nde belirgin bir İngiliz edebî kimliği oluşturma düşüncesinin kökenlerini, ondördüncü yüzyıl şairleri Geoffrey Chaucer ve John Gower’a kadar sürdürmek mümkündür. Ancak bu düşünce, çok ciddi olarak, onaltıncı yüzyılın ikinci yarısında, Elizabeth I döneminin yazar ve şairler kuşağı nezdinde öne çıkan bir ilgi konusu olmuş ve onların edebiyat siyasetinin özünü oluşturmuştur. Aslında, Rönesans Avrupası’nda siyasal, ideolojik, kültürel, ekonomik, ticarî ve sömürgeci milliyetçiliğin yükselişte olduğu bir dönemde, Elizabeth I döneminde de özellikle millî bir edebiyat kimliğinin oluşumu dâhil, her alanda radikal politikalar izlenmesi olağan bir durumdu. Dolayısıyla, dönemin edebiyatçıları için, özellikle Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare ve çağdaşlarının oluşturduğu kuşak için, edebî yaratıcılık ve özgünlük, nihayet yabancı etkilerden bağımsızlık, öncellenmeli ve taklitçiliğin ve gelenekselliğin önüne geçilmeliydi. Bu nedenle, Kıta Avrupası’nın edebiyat modellerinin taklidinden giderek vazgeçtiler ve Petrarca’ya olan aşırı rağbeti açıktan açığa reddettiler. Buna karşılık, millî bir edebiyatın yaratılması için, bilinçli ve odaklanmış olarak, kuram ve uygulamaya yönelik bir edebiyat siyaseti sürecini ortaya koydular. Ön gördükleri yeni millî edebiyat, sadece özgün ve yerli değil, aynı zamanda Rönesans hümanizmasının ve genel edebiyat üretiminin düşünsel standartlarına uygun olmalıydı. İşte bu makale, Elizabeth I dönemi edebiyatçılarının, millî bir edebiyat kimliğinin oluşumu için, hangi düşüncelerle ve ne gibi yöntemlerle hareket ettiğini irdeleyen ve tartışan bir çalışmadır. Bu amaçla, özellikle Sidney ve Spenser üzerinde durulmaktadır.

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References

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Cite this publication

APA 7

Umunç, H. (2022). “Turning Others’ Leaves”: The Politics of National Literary Identity in Renaissance England. Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters, 41(1), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.1302429

BibTeX

@article{umunc2022turning,
  author = {Umun{\c{c}}, Himmet},
  title = {{``Turning Others' Leaves'': The Politics of National Literary Identity in Renaissance England}},
  journal = {Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters},
  volume = {41},
  number = {1},
  pages = {46--55},
  publisher = {Hacettepe {\"U}niversitesi},
  year = {2022},
  issn = {1301-5737},
  doi = {10.32600/huefd.1302429},
  url = {https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/turning-others-leaves-the-politics-of-national-literary-identity-in-renaissance-england},
  language = {en},
  keywords = {{\.I}ngiliz ve {\.I}rlanda Dili, Edebiyat{\i} ve K{\"u}lt{\"u}r{\"u}},
  abstract = {The origins of the sense in Renaissance England for a distinct English literary identity may be traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower in the fourteenth century. However, it was with the Elizabethan generation of writers and poets in the second half of the sixteenth century that this sense became a serious concern and constituted the essence of their literary politics at the time. In fact, at a time when political, ideological, cultural, economic, commercial, and colonialist nationalism was on the rise in Renaissance Europe, it would not be unusual for the Elizabethans to pursue radical policies of nationalism in every sphere, including most importantly the formation of a national literary identity. Accordingly, for the literati of the time, especially for the generation of Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and their contemporaries, literary creativity and originality and, consequently, independence from foreign influence were to be prioritized and privileged over imitation and traditionality. Therefore, they increasingly turned away from the imitation of Continental literary norms and explicitly rejected Petrarchan populism; instead, they were involved in a deliberate and focused engagement in a process of theoretical and pragmatic politics for the creation of national literature. The new national literature they envisaged was not only to be authentic and native in identity but also to match up the intellectual standards of Renaissance humanism and literary performance at large. So this article is an analytical and argumentative attempt, with the main focus on Sidney and Spenser, to demonstrate in what ways and by what perceptions the Elizabethans were motivated for the formation of a national literary identity.},
  affiliation = {BA{\c{S}}KENT {\"U}N{\.I}VERS{\.I}TES{\.I}}
}

.bib

RIS

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Umunç, Himmet
TI  - “Turning Others’ Leaves”: The Politics of National Literary Identity in Renaissance England
T2  - Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Letters
VL  - 41
IS  - 1
PY  - 2022
SP  - 46
EP  - 55
PB  - Hacettepe Üniversitesi
SN  - 1301-5737
DO  - 10.32600/huefd.1302429
UR  - https://hacettepe.hbtech.com.tr/en/publication/turning-others-leaves-the-politics-of-national-literary-identity-in-renaissance-england
AB  - The origins of the sense in Renaissance England for a distinct English literary identity may be traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower in the fourteenth century. However, it was with the Elizabethan generation of writers and poets in the second half of the sixteenth century that this sense became a serious concern and constituted the essence of their literary politics at the time. In fact, at a time when political, ideological, cultural, economic, commercial, and colonialist nationalism was on the rise in Renaissance Europe, it would not be unusual for the Elizabethans to pursue radical policies of nationalism in every sphere, including most importantly the formation of a national literary identity. Accordingly, for the literati of the time, especially for the generation of Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and their contemporaries, literary creativity and originality and, consequently, independence from foreign influence were to be prioritized and privileged over imitation and traditionality. Therefore, they increasingly turned away from the imitation of Continental literary norms and explicitly rejected Petrarchan populism; instead, they were involved in a deliberate and focused engagement in a process of theoretical and pragmatic politics for the creation of national literature. The new national literature they envisaged was not only to be authentic and native in identity but also to match up the intellectual standards of Renaissance humanism and literary performance at large. So this article is an analytical and argumentative attempt, with the main focus on Sidney and Spenser, to demonstrate in what ways and by what perceptions the Elizabethans were motivated for the formation of a national literary identity.
KW  - İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili
KW  - Edebiyatı ve Kültürü
LA  - en
AD  - BAŞKENT ÜNİVERSİTESİ
ER  -

.ris